


Peppermint

by BirdOfHermes



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Assassination Plot(s), Assassins & Hitmen, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Cunnilingus, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Future Fic, Genetic Engineering, Genetically Engineered Beings, Genetics, Gentle Sex, Hurt Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya, Making Love, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Orphans, Polyamorous Character, Post-Apocalypse, Praise Kink, Science Fiction, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Voice Kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:13:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: My orders were simple:Kill the vampire.Save the world.But nothing about murder was ever simple.A Castlevania science fiction AU. Post season two.
Relationships: Alucard (Castlevania)/Reader, Alucard (castlevania)/original female character, Alucard/Reader
Comments: 21
Kudos: 125





	1. Entry Point #1

**Author's Note:**

> Ahahahahaaaaaaaa, it's so fun having ADHD!
> 
> Right. So. First off, yeah, I'm gonna finish my other Alucard/Reader fics, I swear. I just have trouble ending things. Second off, before we get started, I am going to approach the time travel aspects of this story with Doctor Who in mind, as in, "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a nonlinear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff." None of this is precise. Most of it's not going to make a whole lot of sense, but that's not the entire point anyway. The point is a slightly off-kilter enemies to friends to lovers fic starring our lovely Alucard, because I'm an idiot with a short attention span. Be patient with me, I beg you. Think Terminator rules, if that at all helps. Everything will be explained in due time. Mostly. 
> 
> So buckle up. Things are about to get weird.

_I can’t decide whether you should live or die_

_Oh, you’ll probably go to heaven_

_Please don’t hang your head and cry_

_No wonder why my heart feels dead inside_

_It’s cold and hard and petrified_

_Lock the doors and close the blinds_

_We’re going for a ride!_

_-“I Can’t Decide” by Scissor Sisters_

My orders were simple:

_Kill the vampire._

_Save the world._

But nothing about murder was ever simple.

Dracula’s castle was deathly quiet. I waited in the rafters, completely still, every breath as light as I could make it. My armor would prevent him from hearing my heartbeat, so I had to breathe sparingly to keep from giving myself away. I checked the time. Just a few more seconds.

Footsteps. I guided my gaze downward to the hallway where the most beautiful man I’d ever seen appeared.

Adrian Tepes.

Alucard.

Son of Dracula.

World ender.

Even from this high up, it wasn’t hard to make out his handsome features. He had long golden hair, shimmering gold eyes to match, and a lean frame—all long, graceful lines of muscle, perfectly sculpted, like some kind of Greek god.

It was such a goddamn shame I had to kill him.

He continued walking through his ancestral home, unaware of my presence, passing below my position. I drew the crossbow from my back and aimed at his shoulder blade. My shot would pierce his left pectoral and the silver stake would shred his heart to raw meat. I wished it would be something more painless, but we had to be sure. Vampires could only truly die once staked and burned until no trace remained. Anything less and even a dhampir like him could regenerate the wounds. Other methods could wound or temporarily incapacitate him, but a true death had to be a stake and fire.

I exhaled slowly and pulled the trigger.

My aim was perfect.

But the stake hit the rug, not the vampire.

I froze as I stared through the scope, realizing he’d flash-stepped out of the way. Shit!

“A word of advice,” a soft baritone voice whispered into my left ear. “If you are going to kill a vampire, do not brush peppermint oil into your hair. Even from this distance, I could smell it.”

I dove off the rafters. Several feet from the ground, I shot out my grappling hook and it snagged on a beam one several yards away. I swung across to the other half of the upstairs hallway and landed in a crouch, staring at the spot where I’d just been. He wasn’t there either.

I felt displaced air brush my braid and drew my blade, slashing up into the air where his face would be. Steel clanged. Alucard’s sword had appeared, likely summoned by him from somewhere nearby. He held the defensive position and glared down at me. “Who are you?”

I shoved away from him and threw down a smoke pellet. The vampire cursed as a cloud of noxious gas swallowed the area. I slipped on my visor and focused on his heat signature. Even in the confusion, he hadn’t lowered the blade enough for me to get a decent shot at his heart. Damn, he was good.

I sheathed the blade and drew my .45 instead, planting my feet. I opened fire. Before a single bullet could touch him, Alucard levitated out of the smoke and then rushed me. I threw myself into a sideways roll, just barely avoiding him, and came up on one knee, firing at the crimson blur that breezed by. I heard a grunt and then blood splashed onto the hallway rug. Alucard landed twenty feet away, his white shirt now marred with red at the right shoulder and hip. He let go of the sword and the weapon levitated on its own, slicing through the air. My knee jerk instincts foolishly took over; I rolled again, but this time, Alucard had been waiting for me. I bumped into his legs and he grabbed my gun hand, twisting hard so that I dropped the weapon.

He gripped my wrist hard and slammed me into the wall behind us, simultaneously stunning me and knocking the wind out of me. His other hand quickly slid around my throat and squeezed until I strained to breathe.

“I say again,” Alucard murmured, his golden eyes glowing from inches away. “Who are you?”

My vision tunneled until only he remained. Would it be the last thing I ever saw? Such an angelic visage. To think it would be the end of me as well as the end of the human race.

It was a fleeting thought. My training kicked in. I reached up with my free hand and hit the Traveler device on my other wrist. The nanite suit enveloped me within milliseconds. I disappeared into the time stream in a brilliant flash of color.

A moment later, I tumbled onto the floor of my present time.

I lay the cold floor of mission control for several seconds, catching my breath, waiting for the dizziness to dissipate.

I heard a sigh somewhere to my right. “I take it the mission was a success, then?”

I pushed up onto my knees first and hit the Traveler. The nanites retreated into the device. I rubbed my sore throat and croaked, “Mission failure.”

Thorne, my commanding officer, folded his arms behind his back and narrowed his eyes at me. It was my least favorite look from him. He’d always been imposing even since I was a teenager—6’2’’, bald, dark-skinned, bearded. He had a severe aura, and for good reason. “Report.”

“I…” I winced and forced myself to stand up, pulling my cloth mask down. “…underestimated his ability to detect my presence. Apologies, sir.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, we knew the first go was a risk anyway. Hitting the vampire on his home turf may present him too much of an advantage. Noted. Are you injured?”

“No, sir,” I said. “Just a little winded, that’s all.”

He nodded. “Good.”

Thorne walked to the time stream platform at center of the lab, his fingers flying across the keys. He typed in “mission failure” for the first entry point in the mission and then selected the second entry point. “These are your next coordinates.”

I nodded and entered them into the Traveler. He glanced down at my waist. “Where is your firearm?”

I winced. “I was unable to recover it before I had to exit into the time stream.”

The frown deepened. “Leaving things behind has consequences. Time is not something you fool with lightly. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

He unholstered his own weapon and passed it to me. “Be more careful. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded to me. “Good luck.”

I holstered the gun and activated the Traveler again. “Thank you, sir.”

Once more, unto the breach.

_Kill the vampire._

_Save the world._

I could not fail. Murder one to save millions.

God help me.


	2. Entry Point #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You return for a second attempt on Alucard's life.

The sunshine in this part of the country was exquisite.

It was sad I wasn’t allowed to enjoy it; I hadn’t seen sunlight since I was a kid, before the apocalypse. The unscorched earth, too, felt like a distant memory, yet here in the past, it was all the land knew. Green grass and leaves. Critters running around in the forest. Fresh water in the rivers and lakes. Normal clouds in the sky, not the artificial ones creating perpetual night for the creatures that had eaten damn near every man, woman, and child on Earth.

I pushed aside the traumatic memories that tried to spring up as I felt the sun on my cheeks and focused my crossbow on the path forty yards out. I was downwind this time.

“Peppermint, my ass,” I mumbled, disgruntled as a blush rose in my cheeks as I thought of his words. He hadn’t needed to tell me that; he could have simply snuck up behind me and snapped my neck.

So why hadn’t he?

I took a deep breath and pushed the logic forward, ignoring my hesitance. Because he wanted answers. He wasn’t showing mercy for mercy’s sake; he needed to know what I knew. Focus.

Finally, the sound of the rocking carriage reached my ears. I slowed my breathing and stared through the crosshairs. Alucard had a relaxed posture this time, the horse’s reins slack in his hands, facing forward. I told myself not to rush this time. I waited, watching him. Eventually, he shut his eyes and leaned his head back. His flaxen hair spilled over his broad shoulders. The sun lovingly stroked his pale skin; one of the rarest privileges of a dhampir. There were vampires who would kill to be out during daylight.

I fired the crossbow at his heart.

And he snatched the stake out of the air mere inches from his chest.

Shit.

He hissed and dropped it immediately as it burned his fingers. He pulled the horse’s reins to come to a stop and I reloaded as fast as I could as he hopped off of the wagon, those amber eyes staring into the forest, searching for me.

I fired again. He rolled out of the way. Damn him, he was agile. I’d studied him for over a year and yet I couldn’t understand how the hell he could be so goddamn swift. He glowed crimson for a second and then vanished from the spot where he stood.

I didn’t wait this time; I slapped the Traveler online and readied myself to return to my time.

I didn’t get that far, unfortunately.

The branch underneath me cracked loudly and then I fell to the dirt in a heap. Alucard had climbed below me and snatched the damn thing out from under me. I wheezed as my ribs stung sharply, unable to breathe yet again. Pain didn’t matter. I had to get out of here. I shoved up on my forearms and reached for the Traveler, but Alucard’s boot slammed down on my wrist before it could reach it.

“Peppermint,” Alucard murmured, staring down at me with the sun at his back, his golden eyes like a wolf’s gaze from so close. “I had an inkling you would return.”

He knelt and grabbed my wrist from under his boot and dragged me to my feet. He slammed me against the trunk of the tree I’d been hiding in, and this time, he pinned both my arms at my sides. Shit. He’d learned. My second entry point had been three years after the first in order to give him a false sense of security, thinking it had been a one time freak occurrence, thereby forcing him to lower his guard. Clearly, Alucard’s memory was sharp as ever.

“Who are you?” Alucard asked.

In answer, I headbutted him.

Alucard snarled in surprise as the top of my skull smashed into his nose. It hurt like hell, but it loosened his grip on my right wrist. I twisted it free and lunged for the Traveler, but he was too quick; he caught my arm and wrenched it down at my side yet again. Small trickles of blood slid down his face as he glared at me.

I angled my legs beneath me and tried to knee him in the groin this time, but he arched backwards without letting me go and then shoved his knee between my thighs so I couldn’t move them either.

“Persistent little thing, aren’t you?” he growled. “It is in your best interest to surrender and give me the information I require.”

I struggled against him, but his frame was deceptively heavy and entirely immovable. End of the line. I couldn’t believe I’d failed so spectacularly. Maybe I hadn’t been ready. Maybe our desperation for our cause meant they’d chosen the wrong girl. Damn it all.

“Kill me,” I spat. “Because I am not going to talk.”

The vampire had the gall to slightly raise one eyebrow. “I am afraid you just did, my dear.”

I glared at him, blushing beneath my mask. “Just get it over with, monster.”

He scowled. “I have no intention of killing you. I only wish to know why you want to end my life. You have gone through great lengths to do so. This is nothing like the other assassination attempts.”

I just kept glaring at him. He sighed. “Very well.”

He pulled hard on my arms. I used every ounce of my strength to try to resist, but he was the son of Dracula at the end of the day and I couldn’t do fuckall about it. He dragged me away from the tree and turned me around, crossing my arms over my chest. He pinned them together with one hand…and then unsnapped the Traveler from my wrist.

“No!” I cried before I could help it.

“I will not break it,” he said, slipping it into the pocket of his trousers. “But you will give me answers, girl.”

He kept my arms in his grip and dragged me towards the wagon. Once there, he withdrew a length of rope from the supplies in the back and tied my hands—behind my back, like a smart captor—and feet, disarming me as well. He then tossed me into the back, though still within his peripheral. We were nowhere near civilization, hence, he had no reason to gag me. He climbed into the wagon, clucked his tongue, and started for home.

God help me.

What had I done?

* * *

“Here is how this is going to work,” Alucard said as he sat me in the chair at his dining room table in the kitchen. “Tell me who you are and why you are trying to kill me and I will release you. We need not draw this out.”

He strode over to the bottles of fresh water in the corner and popped the cork on one. Then he returned to me and pulled my mask down. I flinched on instinct, worried he would hit me with it or splash it on me, but instead, he held it to my lips. “Drink.”

I glared at him silently. He rolled his eyes. “It is not poisoned; why would I poison my own water supply?”

I eyed him, still saying nothing. He narrowed his eyes at me. “It has been hours since your capture. I know you are parched. Drink it.”

My inner stubbornness wanted to refuse, but once again, I pushed the logic along the track. I would be weak without water, too weak to escape, perhaps. Begrudgingly, I parted my lips. He poured the water into my mouth, allowing me to drain half the bottle, and then replaced the cork and sat it in the center of the table. Damn it. He was too smart; I’d been thinking about knocking it onto the floor so it would shatter and grabbing it to cut myself loose.

Alucard grabbed an apple from the bowl and then a paring knife from the drawer. He cut it neatly into quarters on a plate and approached me again. My stupid stomach betrayed me and growled aggressively at the sight of the fresh fruit. Alucard picked up a slice and met my eyes, lifting his brows in slight sarcasm before eating it to prove it also wasn’t poisoned. He offered one to me. I want to spit on him, I was so angry, but I was also starving, so I ate the stupid apple slice. I ate every one that he offered to me.

“There,” he said, dusting off his hands and taking the plate over to the sink. “Now then, who are you?”

I said nothing. Alucard crossed his arms and shook his head. “Very well. If you will not answer that, then tell me who you work for. You are not acting alone. You have all the signs of a soldier under orders. The weaponry you left behind was telling, as was your method of arrival. You are not from my time period, are you?”

I kept my face impassive. How the hell had he put that together? This era of time knew nothing of such things.

“My father has literature on the theories of time travel,” Alucard said, as if reading my mind. “It is not a foreign concept. I have had years to read his work as well as that in the Belmont hold. If you were sent back in time to kill me, you could at least have the common courtesy to tell me why.”

He stared at me for a long while. Finally, he made another frustrated noise and walked towards me. Again, I flinched, but he didn’t hit me; he just scooped me up from the chair and carried me away. I thought he would take me to the dungeon, but he didn’t. We passed into the hallway I’d seen during my first attempt to kill him and then he turned into a small room. It had no windows, predictably, and it locked from the outside. The castle had been well taken care of recently, so there were freshly cleaned pillows and a blanket on the small futon. I spotted a chamberpot in the far corner. There were shelves with books on them lining all the walls; the room had likely been used as a library corner, so no windows to prevent distractions.

Alucard put me down on the futon. “I will return in the morning. Consider your predicament carefully. If you wish to return to your proper time, then you will surrender the information I desire. If not, you will be my guest for an inordinately long while.”

“You think I’m afraid of you?” I spat before I could help it. “Of being a prisoner?”

“No,” Alucard said, staring at me over his shoulder, one hand on the doorknob. “I think you are stubborn, Peppermint. You will give me what I want.”

He spared me a slightly mocking smirk. “In time.”

Then he shut the door and left me in darkness.

* * *

I calculated it had been roughly six hours when Alucard returned.

And I was ready for him.

The knob turned and the door swung inward. In the light from the hallway, I could see his shadow. He was carrying a tray with food on it along with a small candle. “Rise and shine, Peppermint.”

From where I hid behind the door, I smashed the chair from the corner over his head.

Alucard snarled as it broke apart and the tray clattered to the floor. Once more, I’d unfortunately underestimated him; he didn’t fall to his knees like I’d hoped he would. I’d spent the entire night hunched near one of the shelves, sawing through the rope bindings; I wrapped the length of it around his throat and leapt onto his back, wrapping my legs around his middle. I pulled the ends of the rope in opposite directions as hard as I possibly could. Alucard choked and wheezed, gripping the rope to try to loosen it. He lashed out one hand to shove the bedroom door shut and then then slammed me against it. My head bounced off the old wood, but I ignored the sharp pain, squeezing as hard as I could to strangle him. He pressed his weight into me against the door and then reached one arm behind him, gripping my side. He yanked on my midsection and my legs came loose from the force. I hit the floor and rolled, coming up on one knee, but by the time I did, he flattened me under him and pinned my arms.

“What did I say?” he rasped. “Stubborn.”

“Kill me,” I demanded. “You know you want to, monster, so just do it.”

“You are the one trying to kill me and yet you call me monster. Rather ironic, no?”

I tried to shove myself up, but he straddled me and pressed his hips down to keep me there. “I told you before, girl. The only way out of this is compliance.”

I let out a brittle laugh. “You can torture me all you want. I won’t break.”

He made an exasperated noise in his throat. “I am not going to torture you for answers.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why? You pity me?”

“No,” he said. “Torture is what my father would do. I refuse to become him.”

My eyes widened. I…hadn’t expected that response. I quickly hid the surprise behind another glare. “I’m not going to submit to you. I’m going complete my mission one way or another.”

“Why?” he demanded. “My father is dead. I slew him myself. What harm could I possibly cause the future? I have kept to myself. I know only the company of two friends. What threat could I possibly pose that justifies my murder in cold blood, Peppermint?”

I’d already said too much. Silence upon capture had been part of my training, yet he somehow kept forcing responses out of me. I reeled in my discipline and said nothing this time. He gritted his teeth. “I do not enjoy treating you this way. It is barbaric. Are you so convinced of your righteousness that you would endure this kind of treatment?”

“Try me.”

“Stubborn,” Alucard muttered as he shook his head. His golden locks wavered on either side of my face. It was then that I could smell the faintest cologne he’d combed into those beautiful waves. His hair brushed the side of my cheek, soft as silk, warm, heavier than it looked. How interesting.

“I am going to let you go,” he said, his tone weary, annoyed. “You might as well conserve your strength instead of attacking me again. There will be time for that later, I am certain.”

He eyed me as he slowly released my wrists and lifted his hips from atop mine. I slid away from him and pulled myself up onto the futon. The back of my skull throbbed persistently. Damn. I’d have a big old knot there shortly. My ribs still hadn’t recovered from the fall yesterday either, leaving me horribly sore in both spots.

Alucard returned to the fallen tray, which had somewhat survived the attack. He kicked some of the broken pieces of chair aside and then plopped the tray at the edge of the futon. I spotted more apple slices, some spilled porridge, a large biscuit, and three fat slices of bacon beside a bottle of water. Again, my traitorous stomach growled.

“I will return at lunchtime,” he said, pushing his hair out of his eyes and then rubbing the fading red mark around his neck. “Consider what I have said more carefully this time, Peppermint.”

“Do you think calling me that will make me fond of you?” I sneered.

He snorted. “Not in the slightest. But until I have a name to go with that pretty face, Peppermint will have to do.”

With that, he left again. It took me a moment to realize I’d begun to blush at his words. Pretty. That was…new.

And just as scary as everything else about him.

* * *

Alucard returned a few hours later with lunch.

I met him at the door with a stake I’d fashioned out of the broken chair.

He caught my arm mid-swing and sighed, balancing the tray with his other hand. A sour look formed over his expression. “Good afternoon to you, too.”

I snatched my arm free and tossed it aside. Without the element of surprise on my side, there’d be no chance of victory. Alucard shut the door and set the tray on the end of the futon again while remaining outside of my reach. “I give you full marks for effort. Your aim is impeccable. However, you are too hasty. I would wager you have never killed before.”

I turned my attention to the tray, ignoring him. Steamed fish, fresh bread, a block of white cheese, and more water. Hell, I hadn’t eaten this well back at the underground compound. It made me frown and then shoot him a suspicious look. “Why do you insist in feeding me well?”

“I already made some for myself,” Alucard said. “It was no trouble to share it.”

I snorted as I brought the bread up to my nose, inhaling its scent. Rosemary and sage. I took a bite. Warm, slightly buttery. Delicious. Bastard. “And I suppose you would treat a male prisoner with such courtesy.”

“Yes, I would,” Alucard said frankly, crossing his arms. “Your gender has nothing to do with how I treat you.”

“Sure, it doesn’t,” I muttered, breaking off a piece of cheese next. “You must think me pathetic after this many failed attempts to kill you. Feeding me because you feel sorry for me.”

“I do not feel sorry for anyone, least of all my would-be murderer.”

I glared at him. “Go to hell.”

He smirked a bit, ignoring the comment. “How are your wrists?”

I scowled. “Itchy.”

He slipped a small vial from his pocket and set it on the tray. “For the bruising and abrasions. What about your ribs?”

“Hurts when I breathe,” I said blandly between bites of the fish. It was flaky and buttery, perfectly steamed. I savored every bite, though I tried not to let it show on my face. “I’ll get over it.”

“Would you like something to wrap your chest with?”

I shook my head. “Just bruised, nothing broken.”

“Very well. I have been examining your clever little device.” He slipped it out of his pocket, his golden eyes examining it before he returned it to the safety of his pants. “It is quite interesting. There are so many elements that I have never seen, not even in the Belmont hold.”

I said nothing. Alucard smiled wryly. “I would wager it was made by your organization, but you strike me as intelligent enough to understand its inner workings.”

“And why do you wager that?”

He nudged the small pile of books by the futon that I hadn’t put back on the shelves. I winced. He was unnervingly perceptive. “One does not trust someone with something so precious arbitrarily. I can tell by your fighting techniques that you’ve been trained and had schooling. However, your behavior suggests this mission was recently formed. Had you been training your entire life to kill me, there is an excellent chance you may have succeeded.”

Alucard shifted his posture slightly as he observed me. “My comment about the peppermint oil was not meant to be condescending. It is telling to me that you wear it.”

“Is that right?” I asked as sarcastically as possible.

He nodded. “You appear as if you have lost something. Perhaps family. Perhaps a home. Whatever the case may be, the peppermint oil is a reminder. It grounds you. Reminds you of who you are and what you are fighting for.”

A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed it with the next gulp of water. “Go fuck yourself.”

He chuckled. “Such a charming conversationalist.”

He nudged the impromptu stake on the floor. “The other weapon intrigues me, the one that fires projectiles. I have seen similar technologies, but not so sophisticated. It can inflict an impressive amount of damage for a handheld weapon. Things must be quite dire in the future if such weapons are commonplace. I noted the silver bullets. They left quite an ugly mess for me to clean up.”

I glanced at him then. “How bad?”

He blinked at me. “I beg your pardon?”

“I want to see. I’ve never seen silver damage from a bullet before.”

He eyed me. “You are trying to trick me.”

“I am trying to kill you,” I said dryly. “Tricking you serves no purpose when you already know that.”

He pursed his lips, still skeptical, but then conceded. “Very well.”

Alucard tugged off his shirt. The wounds were in his right shoulder and just above his hip bone. The skin around both areas had turned a nasty color, like that of being burned with a poker. Even after three years, it had yet to heal completely, though it certainly looked far better than it probably did when they were fresh. Before I realized it, I’d stood up and approached for a closer look. He hadn’t walked or moved any differently, which led me to believe it no longer hurt. The spots where the slugs had hit were smooth and shiny with healed flesh.

“You should be proud,” the vampire said with an edge in his voice. “It has been quite some time since anyone left a scar.”

I met his gaze fearlessly. “Pride has nothing to do with this. Only sacrifice.”

“Yes,” he hissed. “My life. Only it is not yours to take, girl.”

“What do you know, vampire?” I snarled. “Hiding here in your mansion with your trinkets and your books and your fine wine and fancy food. You talk of scars, but you know nothing about them.”

I grabbed the zipper at my throat and undid my armor to my sternum, then jerked the material aside to expose the left side of my neck. A hideous patch of ruined scar tissue had built a home in the spot where my throat met my shoulder. Alucard’s eyes widened in shock. “The vampires had just enough time for a bite while the others were ripping my parents to shreds.”

I shoved my face into his, unafraid, trembling with loss and fury as I said the next words. “They held me down and made me watch them kill my family.”

Alucard swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. “How old were you?”

“What does it matter?”

“No,” he said softly, his gaze returning to the scar. “I suppose it does not matter, does it?”

He dipped his head towards me. “I am sorry for your loss. Truly.”

“Wielding time means nothing in the face of that kind of devastation. I cannot return as who I am now to undo it. Not only would it cause a paradox, but the ripple effect would be catastrophic. So I have to live with that memory every day for the rest of my life.”

“And killing me will change that?”

“This is not about me. It never was.”

He cocked his head slightly as he watched me pull the armor back into place. “But shouldn’t it be? You have been asked to risk your life to kill me, yet the mission is not about you. Why do your needs mean nothing given the sacrifice you are making for them?”

“The future is more than just a place in time. It’s everything. Compared to that, I’m nothing.”

“My dear,” he whispered. “No one is nothing.”

My breath caught again. I hadn’t heard words like that since my parents. And he…seemed to mean it. Genuinely. I didn’t understand. How could he? He was a monster.

Wasn’t he?

But that didn’t matter, not now, anyway.

With his guard finally down, I went for it.

I shoved my hand into his pocket and seized the Traveler.

Then, before he could stop me, I activated it and returned to the present.


	3. Entry Point #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your third attempt on Alucard.

“What did you learn?”

I took a deep breath and tried to sift through my thoughts. “I believe that a frontal assault will not succeed, given my experiences. I believe that it would be advantageous to lay a trap with explosives. Once he’s crippled, then I could strike.”

Thorne paced back and forth in front of me, his hands behind his back. “I see. You would plant the charges at the mansion?”

“No, I believe that he knows the layout too well and something would tip him off. Additionally, his hearing is too superior; he would hear me when I appeared to place the explosives. Instead, planting charges under the wagon and then waiting until he rides out into the forest. There is a narrow pass he uses to reach the town. The wagon could overturn and tumble down into the ravine, leaving him vulnerable, and then I could strike.”

“Good strategy. Heads to the weapons vault and ask for Veronica. She will be able to select the correct charges and she can instruct you on how to use them. Since we are making a new attempt, I will have to calculate the outcome to be sure it’s worth using the resources. I should be done within the hour with a new entry point. Dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.” I saluted him and left the lab. I rode the elevator to the weapons vault and met with a no-nonsense woman in her fifties who walked me through the best explosives for the job and tutored me on how to set them. It was relatively straightforward, not unlike my weapons training had been. It was all about being focused, calm, and remembering the steps in order.

My thoughts cluttered again once I rode back to the lab with my satchel of supplies. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Alucard had said to me.

_“No one is nothing.”_

Why had he said that to me?

I was just a number. There were only so many humans left alive, at least in our region of the world. I’d been chosen for this assignment because I was the right age and physically capable of carrying out this mission. All other available soldiers had been given the other tasks that could assist in our task to reverse the apocalypse. Everyone worked for the collective good. Nothing more, nothing less. The mission, above all. If we failed, humanity would eventually slip into extinction. The vampires would eventually get their karma and starve to death, but it would be the literal end of the planet once the last of them died out from lack of blood. Earth would be a black, silent dot floating through the galaxy, empty of everything that had once made it special.

Compared to that, how could I matter at all?

I straightened my shoulders as the doors opened and I headed back to the lab. Thorne stood at the platform, watching the supercomputer’s calculations. It showed him the projected outcome in percentages and figures that as smart as I was, I had no idea how to read, and then the amount of energy it would take for the trip, and the ripple effect it would have on our timeline.

“The strategy has a seventy-two percent chance of success based on the following entry point,” Thorne said. He wasn’t much for greetings or pleasantries. “Twelve years from the previous entry point.”

“Yes, sir.” I programmed the Traveler with the new coordinates.

“Before you go.”

I blinked up at him. “Sir?”

His dark eyes settled over me, heavy, like thick snowfall. “You were gone for a significant amount of time. I know you were his captive, but is there any further information I should be aware of?”

Translation: my report had made him suspicious and he wanted to know if anything had gotten complicated. I’d learned to speak Thorne years ago. “Nothing relevant comes to mind.”

“Very well. Remember, you are obligated to disclose anything that may facilitate the mission’s success, even at your own peril.”

“Of course, sir.”

Thorne took a step back. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.” I readied the Traveler and then blipped to my destination.

Winter had the region within its icy clutches when I exited the time stream. I regretted that a lot; I wasn’t made for the cold, and snow left evidence. Fortunately, though, it had put me just before Alucard would be climbing into the wagon to ride, so I was able to use his footprints in the snow to approach it undetected. The horses gave me wary looks, but didn’t protest as I crawled beneath the undercarriage and very carefully affixed the charges to the bottom. I’d made sure that there was enough precision that it would break away from the horses; it wasn’t their faults they were pulling Alucard and I didn’t want them to suffer, if I could help it. Once done, I retreated into the forest and trudged along until I reached the pass. It was part of where the mountain intersected the land, so it was high and relatively narrow for roughly a hundred feet. It was wide enough for two wagons to pass in opposite directions, but no more than that, which made it treacherous. However, the long way around would add hours onto a trip into town. History stated most travelers used it, knowing the risks.

This time, I used ground cover. I found a spot where the ice had caused trees to fall over and made a mound, so I crawled beneath the frozen, broken tree trunks and slipped on my visor, checking for the incoming heat signature. After a while, the wagon rumbled into sight. Alucard had dressed warmly in a fur-lined coat and gloves, vapor rising on each breath, still as handsome and unchanged as the last time I’d seen him. My heartrate increased. This was it.

I hit the detonator.

A plume of fire and smoke along with a deafening explosion shook the clear. The horses panicked and raced forward, their reins severed. The wagon flipped over entirely and rolled down the hill with a crash, smashing into trees on its way into the ravine. It had happened much too fast for me to see Alucard, but it didn’t matter; I’d have to go down there to confirm the kill and deliver the final blow.

I scurried from my hiding place and then rappelled down into the ravine. I spotted the obliterated wagon several yards from me, fire consuming it and anything inside it. I approached stealthily and focused on the snow, searching for footprints in case Alucard had cleared the explosion in time. Nothing in front of the wagon. I maneuvered behind it and found a trail of blood that spread out roughly twenty feet. I heard wet coughing and spotted Alucard lying in the snow, his coat smoking, his legs bent at entirely wrong angles. I heard a pop and then saw his right arm snap back into its proper shape, which drew a pained grunt from the vampire. He was healing. I had to work fast.

I withdrew my blade and kicked him in his injured left shoulder. He flopped onto his back, gasping in pain, blood covering half of his battered face, turning his beautiful hair into a matted crimson mess on one side. I dropped to one knee and raised the blade to pierce his heart.

But I was still too damned slow.

When he’d flipped over, I could see the dagger in his right hand, which he aimed below my left breast. My armor was built to take gunfire, but due to the spacing of the inner plates, it did leave me vulnerable to knives at close range. I froze where I knelt poised above him, gritting my teeth in frustration as I realized we’d reached a stalemate.

_Pop. Snap. Pop._

Alucard’s bones continued creaking back into their correct positions inside him one at a time. It was terrifying yet fascinating in a sick sort of way. Once his dislocated jaw returned to its proper place, he rasped, “You hesitated.”

“What?” I demanded.

“I heard your approach,” he said, nodding to the direction I’d come from. “You had me if you’d have used the crossbow. Why did you approach with the blade instead?”

I gritted my teeth. “I had to confirm the kill. The crossbow would have tipped you off.”

“I see,” Alucard said, sounding unconvinced. “And now what happens?”

“We kill each other.”

His eyes locked with mine. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Yet neither of us moved.

“You hesitated,” Alucard whispered. “Which means you have a doubt. Even if it’s just a small one. That is significant.”

“You’re humoring me,” I snarled. “You’re faster than I am; you’ll kill me before I kill you, so what’s your game, Alucard?”

“I just want to talk. It has been a long time since I saw you, Peppermint. You’ve gotten even smarter since the last attempt. Is that not worth mentioning?”

“I don’t want your compliments! I want you dead.”

“So kill me.”

My arm wouldn’t move. “Fight back.”

Alucard inhaled sharply. “What?”

“It isn’t like you to give up. Why are you willing to risk dying here in the snow right now?”

A strangely calm expression settled over his features. “Because I believe you are starting to see the light. Whatever you must accomplish, perhaps it can be done without my death.”

I shook my head. “There is no other way. We’ve tried. It has to be…this. It has to be you.”

“Why?” he murmured. “Why does it have to be me, Peppermint? If you tell me the truth, and if it is dire enough, then perhaps you can convince me it’s for the best.”

“Shut up and fight back, damn you!” I shoved him down into the snow, the blade still hovering above his chest, waiting for him to retaliate. He stared up at me for a long moment.

And then lowered his dagger.

I shook him. “Why are you giving up?”

“Perhaps I am tired of fighting it. If you are to spend every waking moment trying to kill me, maybe it’s easier to accept the inevitable.”

I shut my eyes and told myself to do it. Just do it. It would be quick and it wouldn’t hurt him that much, not like the crossbow. It was for the good of mankind. One life. Just one.

I raised my arm to stab him through the heart.

Just then, a twig snapped behind us.

“Look out!” Alucard grabbed my arm and rolled me underneath him. An arrow soared past the spot where I’d just been, missing me by a hair. Its tip buried itself into the trunk of a tree not far from us.

“Take cover!” Alucard dragged me to my feet and we both huddled behind a large tree with enormous, wide-stretching bare branches.

I flipped my visor to another scope and I could see glowing shapes across the forest floor. “Two of them. Both male.”

“Villagers?”

I focused the scope as much as it would let me. “No. That was shot from a crossbow, not a regular bow.”

I reached around the trunk and snatched the arrow free. “Steel, not silver. Strange. Why not silver if they intended to kill a vampire?”

“I hate to break it to you, but they were aiming for you, not me.”

A barrage of arrows followed. They were laying down cover fire so they could move into position.

Alucard glanced at my Traveler. “You should go. I can handle them.”

I shook my head. “I need to know if my organization has an additional adversary. I’m staying.”

“Very well,” he said, flipping the dagger around between his slender, gloved fingers. “I shall take the one on the left. Be careful.”

I gave him an incredulous look. “You do realize you just told an assassin to be careful, right?”

Alucard grinned. “Forgive me, my lady. Old habits.”

We waited for a pause in the arrows and then leapt out. I catapulted over the remains of the wagon in a front flip and landed in a crouch, surprising my assailant, who had likely expected an approach from the side. He was tall and thin, dressed in an all-white suit to blend in with the snow. I kicked the crossbow out of his hand and stabbed him through the shoulder, pinning him to the currently unburnt side of the wagon. He screamed and threw a wild haymaker with his other hand, but I blocked the punch and jerked his arm down over mine. His shoulder dislocated with a sickening crunch. I then scooped up the crossbow and stepped roughly six or seven feet away, aiming it at him. “Do not move.”

He clenched his teeth, his eyes watery and red, but obeyed the command. I spotted Alucard engaging the second hostile. The vampire knocked the crossbow from his hands and then took an offensive stance. “Yield.”

The stockier man just growled and then grabbed for the grenade at his belt. He pulled the pin and threw it.

_At me._

“Shit!” I sprinted away from where it landed and slid down into a nearby ditch just as it detonated. The man I’d caught didn’t even get out a single scream before it blew him to pieces. I could hear the wet splat of his leftover limbs and organs falling onto the snow. Smoke choked the area and made my eyes water, so I took off my visor and tried to wipe them clean.

“Peppermint?” Alucard’s voice called to me, distressed for some reason.

“Here!” I called back, shoving to my feet and shaking off the snow. I hurried back to the clearing to see our remaining assailant flat on his back, white foam sliding down his chin, his pupils dilated. I knelt by him and checked his pulse anyway. Dead.

“Poison?” Alucard asked, kneeling beside me and examining the man’s blown pupils.

“Yes,” I said. “In war times, agents carry it with them to avoid talking if captured.”

We searched his body and found the motherload.

He had a Traveler as well.

“Dammit,” I muttered. “Someone’s onto our plan.”

I slipped the extra Traveler into my utility belt. “I have to take this back to headquarters and find some answers.”

Alucard nodded. “Safe travels.”

I faced him. “Why did you save me?”

“For the same reason you did not kill me.”

“Yet,” I spat. “My orders are to kill you at any available opportunity, but now I see that it is…”

I searched for the word. “…dishonorable. So when I come for you again, vampire, you will properly defend yourself. I refuse to accept your surrender.”

Alucard nodded slowly. “Very well. We will treat it as a duel, then, when next we meet.”

He turned to go, but then stopped and smiled at me over his shoulder. “I know I have no say in the matter, but do not make me wait another twelve years, Peppermint.”

He flicked his fingers upward in a small wave and then headed back to climb up the ravine. I watched him go, uncertainty welling up in my stomach along with a foreign feeling. Almost like…fondness.

I shook it off and activated my Traveler, returning home to think no more of such silly things.


	4. Entry Point #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your fourth attempt on Alucard's life.

I knew there would be consequences for a failed third attempt, even with finding out that we had another player on the chessboard. I reported to Thorne about the mysterious adversaries and he took the Traveler I’d retrieved to examine and promised he’d give me a full report the next time we met.

Which was in a month.

Given my repeated failures, Thorne sent me back into training. I didn’t protest. I could tell that my discipline had slipped since my initial attempts. Throwing myself back into a familiar routine would help me focus on what truly mattered.

But…I still felt…conflicted.

It wasn’t as if Alucard couldn’t lie. He had quite the number of years on me. He was clever, cunning, and certainly intelligent. Thorne had been insistent that I not speak to him. I had to remain a terrible force of nature. Engage only with the intent to kill.

And I’d broken the rules on only my second attempt.

I couldn’t have explained why Alucard got under my skin. I’d expected him to be cold, emotionless, and lethal. Instead, there was a strange…warmth to him. Something human. He had every reason to hate me and want me as dead as I wanted him, yet somehow, it felt as if maybe he’d started to get attached. It didn’t make any sense. How could he behave as if my life mattered to him? He could have killed me during that stalemate. But he didn’t.

The implication that he looked forward to seeing me again confused me even more. Why? Did he have so few interactions with others that even someone trying to kill him was a welcome change? I knew his history—that he was friends with a hunter, Trevor Belmont, and a scholar, Sypha Belnades. Thorne had purposely chosen points at which Alucard wouldn’t be around them, for they would protect him fiercely, and nothing short of an army would be able to stop them if they were together. We had so few military men left that it was why this mission was entrusted to me, a single soldier. We had so few resources that every mission had to be treated with the utmost care and precision. Everything was calculated.

Just…not this. These feelings. These thoughts. In the old days, I’d be able to see a shrink about it, but now? No such thing. Anyone with even the slightest hint of medical training was out on the battlefront treating the wounded. I had colleagues and other soldiers, but none that I felt I could share this sort of thing with, not since it meant everything that I succeed in ending Alucard for the good of everyone else. I also had to pass a psych eval to be cleared to return on mission, so I decided to keep it to myself. Maybe it was just cold feet. I’d read before that increased contact with a target could lead to thoughts of doubt. I needed to disengage from him, and in a way, from myself.

But could I? After all, it wasn’t as if I differed too much from him. I had been around the survivors in our underground colony for years. I had familiar faces in my life, but no friends, no family. I considered resigning from the mission, but who would there be to replace me? It would take the one thing we were desperately running out of—time. And who better to risk their life than someone who had no one to mourn them if they failed?

My month finished up, but this time, Thorne surprised me. He didn’t call me in for a meetup, but rather sent a package to my apartment and then hailed me over the secure channel to explain.

“Inside, you will find everything you need. We’ve calculated that you were correct; physical confrontation with Alucard will often result in a lowered chance of success. I’ve had the lab boys work up a poison that will inflict paralysis. You will attend a ball, poison his drink, and then when he is carted off by medical personnel, you will strike. His healing abilities will give you a window of roughly fifteen to twenty minutes, so you will have to work fast. The coordinates have been sent to your Traveler.”

My device chirped to confirm what Thorne had sent. “Received. What did you learn about the men who tried to kill me?”

“We are hearing rumors that the opposition captured one of our scientists and got him to talk. They hit an outpost in what remains of Boston and gained access to our resources as well as some intel. I’ve further encrypted our data to prevent another breach, but be careful. We’re not sure just how much they know and you may be under attack again. Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.” The hologram shut off. I opened the box to find a sapphire blue evening gown. It was long and slinky, simple, and plain. But then it hit me. I had studied the period of time where Alucard had been born and when he reached adulthood. This dress wasn’t designed for that time period.

I swallowed hard and checked the coordinates that Thorne sent me. I read the year.

1802.

“God,” I whispered hoarsely before I could help it. Roughly 400 years since the last attempt.

Hell, he may not even remember me by then.

I shut my eyes and squashed the tangled emotions in my chest. No time for that. Focus.

I undressed and put on the evening gown and the matching heels, which must have been a bitch to find during the apocalypse. There was also a black mink stole to hide my neck scar. The box also had a small formal invitation to the affair; a celebration of an astrological event. A meteor shower over London. What a nice night for a murder.

I lifted the hem of the dress and slipped on my thigh strap, which had compartments. I attached the silver stake, the small vial of poison included in the package, my blade, a little vial of kerosene, and matches. I’d have to stash the Traveler there too when it was time to go inside so no one would get tipped off.

I brought up the coordinates on the Traveler, which placed me in a blind alley near the great hall where the event would be held. I took the time to undo my braid and ran a brush through my hair. The braid had at least made my hair wavy, so it looked as if I’d styled it for the event. Makeup was pretty much extinct by now, so the people in this era would just have to get over it.

“Time to go,” I muttered, and then hit the Traveler.

It was a jolt to land in London 1802. So many years of developments, everything from civil engineering to methods of transportation. It had a far different look and smell than where Alucard had lived during the first few times we met. It was also why, before time travel became used exclusively for this purpose, that staying for too long in previous time periods could expose you to pathogens, viruses, or bacteria that could be harmful if you didn’t have something to protect against it. I’d had a ton of shots before they’d let me prepare for the mission.

I stashed my Traveler and then approached the front of the great hall. It had two stories with a balcony overlooking the street. Well dressed people walked up to hand their invitations to the gentlemen collecting them at the entrance, so I followed suit. Inside, it was quite cool and lanterns lit the foyer. I signed my name to the ledger and then entered an enormous ballroom, sidling to the wall so that I could locate Alucard.

So far, there were probably about a hundred patrons attending. The center of the ballroom had people twirling elegantly back and forth, and the refreshments were served along the wall. A staircase led to the second floor overlooking the ballroom. The roof had been set up for proper observation of the meteor shower. I scanned the ballroom until I located those familiar broad shoulders and golden hair. Alucard stood in the corner on the second floor with his blond hair back in a ponytail, dressed in a black suit, conversing with an older gentleman. He had a glass of wine in one hand. Perfect.

I observed for a while until I hit paydirt; a few women approached him to dance and he indulged them, leaving his goblet on the railing. The fellow he’d been talking with struck up a conversation with someone else, his back to it, so I decided to make my move. I wove my way through the crowd and up the stairs. I pretended to study a painting on the wall after I’d swiped his goblet and dripped the poison into it before smoothly returning it to its position on the railing. Then I faded into the background of the party, waiting.

After several minutes of dancing, Alucard returned. He lifted the goblet to his lips.

And then a waiter bumped into him from behind, knocking it out of his grasp.

I shut my eyes. “Fucking goddamn _shit._ ”

The waiter apologized and Alucard told him it was fine, handing the now empty goblet to him and mopping up the mess with a handkerchief from his pocket. Damn it all to hell. Human error, the number one reason so many missions failed.

Growling, I turned to head down the stairs to leave.

Before I got more than several steps, I heard that baritone voice in my ear.

“Hello, Peppermint.”

I froze in place.

Shit.

I exhaled through my nose and turned around to face him. Alucard smiled down at me, his eyes glittering under the light from a nearby lantern. I scowled and folded my arms. “What gave me away this time?”

“Vampire hearing,” he said. “No one in this establishment would dare utter the words ‘fucking goddamn shit’ with people around to possibly hear them.”

I seethed. “Well, now what? Are we going to throw down in front of everyone?”

Alucard’s smile widened. “No. We are going to dance.”

I blinked at him. “We’re going to what?”

He caught my hand and walked me down the stairs while I stared after him, completely blindsided. By the time I tried to resist, he’d brought me to the ballroom floor and bowed formally at the waist, kissing the back of my hand. I blushed from the top of my forehead to the soles of my feet, panicking as he drew me close to him.

“I-I can’t dance!” I blurted out.

“No matter,” Alucard said, sliding one hand around my waist, the other holding my hand aloft. “It isn’t too difficult.”

“But—”

“Relax, Peppermint,” he said. “You are a gifted fighter. Fighting is like dancing. It is about grace. You will be a natural at it.”

He stepped backward, gently guiding me with him, his voice low enough that only I heard it. “And one, two, three. Two, two, three. Three, two, three.”

Too flustered to escape, I fell into step with him, following the patterns his feet made on the dance floor. He didn’t go too quickly, much to my relief, and he led well. After a couple of minutes, I managed to get the hang of it.

“What was in my goblet, pray tell?” Alucard asked, smirking.

I glared. “That is a rhetorical question.”

He laughed softly. “I suppose it is. You did well. Had it not been from the waiter’s clumsiness, you’d have had me. I never know what to expect with you.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe you even remember me after all this time.”

Alucard’s warm fingers held me a bit tighter, his expression sobering. “I do not often forget my enemies. It is not good for longevity.”

“And yet here you are, dancing with one.”

“Well, there is no reason not to be polite. Especially not when you went through such great lengths to fit in.” His eyes roved over me. My blush intensified. “It must not have been easy to procure your adornments. My compliments to your organization. You look stunning.”

“Shut up,” I muttered.

“I mean that sincerely,” Alucard said. “I am not mocking you.”

“I reiterate: shut up.”

He chuckled. “Always so stubborn, Peppermint. Centuries have passed and yet you have not changed one bit.”

I frowned at him. “Neither have you, which is the problem.”

“I suppose it is. Will you still not relent and tell me the truth?”

“It wouldn’t make a difference even if I did.”

His eyes hardened their gaze. “That is not your decision to make, I am afraid. Withholding information suggests ignorance is at the heart of this matter, not intelligence or virtue. You want me dead, but you will not say why, yet each time I look into your eyes, I see only pain, not conviction.”

“You don’t know me,” I snarled. “Don’t pretend as if you do.”

“I would never presume as much, but I know that there is a piece of you that does not want to go through with it. Perhaps it is nothing more than a piece, but it is there nonetheless, Peppermint.”

The music that had been serenading us swelled, bringing the orchestral piece to a close. Alucard didn’t let go, instead leaning down to my height, until we were level. “If nothing else happens from this moment on, I implore you to listen to yourself. You are more than what they have made you, Peppermint. I believe that fervently.”

I stared up at him, breathing much too fast, much too hard, frightened and excited all at once. My head felt too full with the things he’d said to me. All thoughts of the mission had fled me. No man had dared say such things to me; to stop long enough to notice anything about me aside from how I could be useful to the cause. That was perhaps why my mouth ran away with things of my youth, namely, poetry.

_“So didst thou travel on life's common way,_

_In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart_

_The lowliest duties on herself did lay.”_

Alucard studied me and then smiled. “Beautiful.”

He bowed to me again and kissed my hand, letting me go as the crowd applauded the orchestra. A man, perhaps one of the organizers, stated that the meteor shower would start shortly, so it would be wise for everyone to head to the roof for a good viewing spot.

Alucard watched the people on the dance floor disperse and then sent me a sly look. “Seeing as your mission has already failed, might I persuade you to take a break and observe a once in a lifetime cosmic event?”

I batted my lashes at him. “How do you know I won’t shove you off the balcony?”

He chuckled and offered his arm. “I don’t.”

Then he winked at me. “But I believe it is worth the risk.”

I tried my damnedest not to smile. I failed miserably. Then I huffed and took his arm, heading onto the roof with him. It was a cool night, bordering on cold, as we picked a spot in the corner away from prying eyes. True to the organizer’s word, the cascading lights from the heavens began shortly after we arrived. I hadn’t ever seen a meteor shower before. I’d only read about it. The night sky was wondrous, so open and dark, yet sparkling with stars and bright flashes of light. I couldn’t help myself; I loved it. So beautiful. No wonder Alucard had traveled all this way to see it.

Then, something odd happened.

Alucard took off his suit jacket and slipped it around my shoulders.

It…was a gesture of complete and utter courtesy.

A gesture I hadn’t seen in years.

I looked away from the brilliant falling lights and found him looking back at me with something in those golden eyes that I couldn’t comprehend.

And, worst of all, I feared that my eyes reflected that same unnamed emotion.

Panic rose inside me again. I stepped back from him, jerking myself out of whatever spell he’d just put me under. “I…have to go.”

I tried to walk around him, but he intercepted me. His fingers closed over my arms underneath his jacket, so warm against the cold. He held me still, so close that my hands rested on his stomach, feeling even more warmth and strength through the thin material of his shirt. His heart beat so wildly. Just like mine.

“Tell me,” he whispered. “Tell me the truth, Peppermint. Please.”

The “please” broke me. Tears cascaded down my cheeks. I shook my head, my voice painful as it ripped from my tightened throat. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Before he could say anything else, I lifted onto my tiptoes and kissed him.

I couldn’t explain why I did it. I didn’t know why myself. But I did know his lips were the softest things I’d ever touched and that for just an instant, he leaned into it, wanting it, wanting me, wanting more.

Then I broke the kiss and fled the building, returning to the mess I’d just made in my present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poem excerpt: "London, 1802"
> 
> *rubs hands together* And the plot thickens. I know it's a slowburn, but stay with me, my very few readers. Juicy content incoming.


	5. Entry Point #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a choice to make. 
> 
> But it's not the one you ever expected to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter warning. But remember last chapter when I mentioned juicy content incoming? >:D

“I’m sorry, sir, but I must resign from this mission. I’ve been compromised.”

I stared at the floor, unable to look Thorne in the eye as the shameful words pried their way from between my lips. I wished I didn’t have to say them, but I had no choice. It was beyond my control.

Thorne didn’t speak for a long moment. Then he asked, “Compromised how?”

I winced. “I have…built an attachment to the target. I am no longer certain I can carry out my orders to kill him. I understand the severity of my mistake and I cannot apologize enough. It may not be too late for someone to take my place and be successful.”

I waited for him to berate me and accuse me of some sort of treason. He didn’t. Another tense silence descended for a while and then he said something peculiar.

“Is it mutual?”

Shocked, I finally looked at him. He wore a frown, but it was a strangely thoughtful one. “Sir?”

“Is the feeling mutual?” he asked again, impatiently this time. “Does Alucard have an attachment to you as well?”

“I…” I licked my lips. “I suppose so?”

“My God,” he muttered in amazement, his eyes wide. “You may have just cracked this thing wide open.”

“Sir?”

He turned to the center console and rapidly typed in several different codes. He brought up the simulator and ran a thread of logic based on the codes he’d entered and squinted at the results. Eventually, it presented him with a new percentage and outcome calculation.

“That’s it,” he said, astonished. “That’s…exactly it. What we’ve never even considered in the first place. Everything we’ve been doing has been as the antagonist in the story, but if we entered as the protagonist, the outcome is vastly different.”

“I don’t understand.”

Thorne faced me. “It never occurred to me that you would bond with him, so I never ran a simulation of the outcome of what would happen if an agent were sent to seduce Alucard and then betray him at an appointed time that would reverse the apocalypse.”

My jaw dropped open. “S-Sir, no, this isn’t intentional. I didn’t approach Alucard with the intent to seduce him. It’s just that we met and fought and we reached a level of respect—”

He waved his hand to cut me off. “Doesn’t matter. You may have failed the previous missions, but you’ve now inadvertently created a completely new opportunity. You’re not going to resign. You’re going to pursue the attachment, strategically place yourself, and then strike.”

“But sir—”

“This is for everything,” he said severely. “Do you understand that? Everything we hoped to accomplish hasn’t gone down the drain just yet. You have a chance to make up for your failures.”

He turned to the console again and continued entering data. “You’re going to return to Alucard. You’re going to submit to whatever feelings you and he share. Spend time with him. Earn his trust. Then, at the appropriate moment, you will lead him into a trap. We’ll take it from there.”

I tried not to clench my jaw. He hadn’t been listening, not really. “Sir, I respectfully decline this new mission. I am of better use to the colony in another capacity. I am not a seductress. I can’t complete these orders.”

“You can and you will. Everything is riding on it. We’re too close for you to get cold feet now.”

“They’re not cold feet!” I shouted finally, losing my temper. “I am not a prostitute and you will not make me one.”

Thorne gave me a look of confusion. “No one said you had to sleep with him.”

“Manipulating him using the attachment we share is no different than prostituting myself. Get someone else. I won’t do it.”

I turned my back on him, stalking away, only for his emotionless voice to reach my ears before I could get far. “You owe me your life.”

I froze. He continued just as coldly. “You know the oath you swore when I saved you and brought you to this colony. Your loyalty is to mankind, not to yourself. I understand that I am asking your to do something unethical. You have two choices: follow orders and save the world or refuse and be ejected from this colony for good, living the rest of your life in exile.”

I shut my eyes and balled my hands into fists. Years. He’d known me for years and yet he was willing to throw me out on my ass. To be eaten alive like my parents or turned into livestock for the vampires’ blood farms. A fury so deep and terrible it had no ends filled me from head to toe. How dare he. Threaten me with death unless I went through with a murder.

And what was my answer?

The Alucard of the past was not responsible for the end of everything. That was the Alucard I’d come to know. But the future…

Who was I to make this decision? Had I ever been the right person to decide?

My life or his. That was what Thorne had just forced me to choose.

And there was really only one thing to do.

“Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll do it.”

Then I turned around and punched him in the mouth. He hit the floor in a heap, blinking up at me in total shock.

“Go to hell, _sir_ ,” I spat, and then left the lab.

* * *

The Roaring Twenties greeted me upon my return through the time stream.

London had gone through quite a boom in the early 1920’s, which was why Alucard would be drawn to it. There was much to do for an intellectual vampire during these times. He could be of great assistance in several areas thanks to centuries of knowledge and experience. Still, though, the changing culture—particular with rebellious women—would appeal to him as well, I suspected.

I didn’t wait to find out if our research department could find era appropriate clothing. I changed into the plainest dress I could find that wouldn’t draw too much attention, packed my suit along with some supplies, withdrew some gold from the vault, and vanished into the time stream without saying goodbye to anyone. I arrived somewhere secluded, headed to a clothing shop, and bought a few outfits. I donned a black dress with pretty blue and green designs in the shape of a peacock’s feathers going diagonally down the front of the dress. The hem hit me just above the knee and there were sandal heels to match. Once disguised, I headed for Alucard’s whereabouts, which should have been at the British museum he curated.

There was just one problem.

Someone was following me.

She was short and brunette, wearing a light green dress and low heels. She had been outside of the clothing store chatting with someone, but by the time I’d gotten several yards away, she had excused herself and headed the same direction as me. It was noon, so I knew she wasn’t a vampire or she’d have burnt to a crisp in the sunlight. Maybe another agent sent by the opposition. That security breach had been a doozy, it seemed.

I considered my options. I could lure her somewhere secluded to subdue her and interrogate her, but London was lousy with people during this time of day. It would be difficult.

I arrived to the British museum and guided myself around, keeping her in my peripheral as I continued to pretend not to notice her. If I hadn’t acquired a tail, I’d have checked into a hotel and put my things down, but I didn’t want her to have a clue where I’d be staying if she was here to kill me, as I suspected she was. Once more, she wasn’t obvious about it. She kept her distance and didn’t look directly at me often. My hunch was she had a syringe under the dress. Quick stabbing. If the poison was fast-acting, I’d be down before I knew what hit me.

I perused exhibits until I reached the section with European pottery and sculptures. Once I turned the corner, I spotted a group of patrons gathered in a semi-circle around a particularly huge vase.

And there, to the right, stood Alucard.

He wore a black vest and black pinstriped suit pants with a crisp white dress shirt. He had his sleeves rolled up and his beautiful golden hair had been piled into an utterly cute messy bun. I wouldn’t have thought to associate the word ‘cute’ with the son of Vlad Tepes, but yet it fit. He seemed entirely at home here as he explained the origins of the piece, hands behind his back. It was an image of him that I never thought I’d see, honestly.

Alucard turned towards the throng…and then stilled as his amber eyes spotted me among the crowd. He stopped mid-sentence, blinking a couple times, which made me smile a little bit. He smiled in return, nodding to me, and then picked up where he’d left off in his history lesson until he finished.

“If you will excuse me, a pressing matter has risen to my attention. I will send Jennifer over to continue the exhibit tour.” He nodded politely to the guests and then walked towards me, catching my wrist to bring me along with him. Once we were out of earshot, he leaned in towards me. Fragrant cologne brushed my nostrils and I almost sighed at the familiar scent, but I didn’t have time to appreciate it yet.

“Peppermint, what are you—”

“Someone’s trying to kill me,” I said quietly. “I need your help.”

He gave a little start, but didn’t let the distress show on his features. We kept walking past the hallways of different exhibits. “Have you identified them?”

“Yes. Brunette, short hair, 5’3’’, light green dress. She hasn’t turned the corner yet, but she’s about to in about five seconds.”

We continued walking and then Alucard pretended to laugh at something I said, throwing his head back, which allowed him to surreptitiously glance behind us. “I see her. What is the plan?”

“We need to avoid an incident, naturally. I was hoping you had an idea of where to go so we can deal with her. It may not be necessary kill her; just incapacitate her.”

“Very well. I have an idea. Follow me.”

He took my suitcase and stashed it in an office we passed by on our way through the employee only section of the museum. We headed to the library. I confirmed she was still very carefully trailing us, which meant she likely had a long range weapon on her. She would know Alucard could stop her at close range, so my gut said she would try to covertly take me out with a silenced handgun or something similar. My heart rabbited inside my chest. I wanted to confront her. I hated playing dumb.

Alucard led me through the labyrinth of aisles and shelves until we hit a dead end, which would force her to lean around the corner if she wanted a shot at me. Smart.

“This is good,” I murmured as I faced a shelf, pretending to look for a title. “She shouldn’t get too suspicious if we—”

Alucard gripped my arm, turned me around, and kissed me.

My shoulders hit the shelf as he pushed me back against them, his hands sliding over my waist to hold me in place, those soft lips parting to deepen the kiss. I felt the faint imprint of his deadly fangs, yet it didn’t scare me; it sent shuddering thrills down my back.

“W-What are you doing?” I stammered after I managed to break the kiss.

“We need her to think we have our guards down,” Alucard purred, his voice taking on a sultry, silken tone I’d never heard before but my God, did I want to hear more of it. “Lure her into a false sense of security so that she makes herself vulnerable to an attack.”

Well. It was practical. However, the sly glint in his eyes and the way his soft lips curled up at one corner led me to believe this wasn’t just a clever ploy to distract my attacker. That being said, the kiss had been so goddamn luscious that all I could manage in return was: “Oh.”

“Forgive me,” he whispered, his long lashes lowering over those glimmering eyes. “You did not ask before you kissed me. I fiendishly thought I ought to return the favor. If I have offended you, I can certainly stop.”

My fingers curled into the fabric of his vest, a completely unconscious gesture. My lips ached. My voice didn’t want to work. I just stared up at him, as frightened and excited as the night of the meteor shower. Alucard read my expression and tipped my chin up. “Very well.”

He kissed me again, licking my mouth open, sucking my tongue into his mouth. I moaned piteously at the burst of pleasure his touch unleashed inside me. My dress suddenly felt stifling. I wanted his hands everywhere. I wanted more, so much more, everything he could give me. God, I hadn’t been touched in years. Held. Kissed. Cherished.

Before I even knew it, I had my hands underneath the vest, clawing at his abs through the shirt to feel their firmness. Alucard growled lightly against my lips and then dragged his mouth down to my jaw, finding a spot beneath my ear that made me actually whimper.

“She is about to make her move,” he whispered in my ear. “Do you trust me?”

“I shouldn’t,” I whispered back. “But I do.”

He let out a light chuckle. “That’s my girl.”

Alucard gripped the hem of my dress and pulled it up to mid-thigh, then wrapped my leg around his waist. His pelvis rocked into the furnace between my thighs and I mewled as pleasure seared through my veins. He was hard and the pressure had been exactly what I’d desperately wanted. For a fleeting second, I forgot about the ploy and wanted him to slip his cock free of his trousers and fuck me right then and there.

His mouth landed on my throat, painting it with messy kisses, one hand slipping into my hair to tilt my head back. Faintly, I realized that was what he’d been getting at; faking it so the assailant would have a seemingly clean shot at me.

And she took it.

I heard the faintest click of the hammer on her pistol. Alucard spun me out of the path of the bullet—which took a chunk out of the shelf—and then he vanished from my sight. A gust of wind broke over me and I blinked up to see him at the end of the aisle, one hand around the assassin’s wrist. She cried out as he swiftly broke it and forced her to drop the weapon. She tried to hit him, but he backhanded her unconscious with his other hand. She slumped to the floor in a heap next to the gun. I wriggled my dress back into place and joined him at the end of the aisle, crouching beside her. I searched her and found a suicide pill in a tiny pouch strapped to her wrist under her sleeve. Her Traveler matched the slightly altered one I’d found on the other assassins.

“What shall we do now?” he asked. “Someone will stumble across us shortly.”

“Let the bitch rot in the wrong time period,” I said coldly, standing up. “Call the police and have her arrested for attempted murder.”

Alucard studied me. “Are you certain? They will want to collect your information.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “It’s 1920. Trust me, I can fool these guys since computers don’t exist yet.”

He gave me a baffled look. “What on Earth is a computer?”

I tried not to laugh. “Oh, right, sorry. What I mean is that I have a false identity in place that will get me through the process of filing the report. It will at least stall long enough for her to lose track of me. Even if someone retrieves her, they’ll likely just give up for now and try again when it’s more convenient.”

“As you wish.” He headed away from the aisle and asked for help. The next hour or so proceeded as we thought it would; the woman refused to say a word, therefore further incriminating herself. They took her away to await sentencing and I finally got to head for a hotel with my suitcase and Alucard in tow. The vampire was kind enough to see me to my room, insisting he escort me to be sure no other assassins were around.

“Tell me,” he said as we approached my door. “What was the scheme to kill me this time? I had no goblet to poison nor a cart to overturn. Is your method to dispatch me more complicated this time?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“What then?” he asked. “You have had a hundred and twenty years to think of something clever to end my life, after all.”

I set the suitcase down in front of the door. “Careful. You sound like you missed me.”

When I turned to him, he flattened his hands to the door on either side of me, caging me between his arms, leaning in dangerously close once more. “And if I did?”

“Then you’d be a fool.”

Alucard smirked. “I’ve been called worse. What are you planning, Peppermint? I remember you promised me a duel once, that you would not see me surrender to you.”

“You’re not the one who needs to surrender,” I said quietly. “I am.”

Alucard inhaled sharply. “What?”

“I’m tired,” I murmured. “So tired, Alucard. I’ve known nothing but hurt for so long that the thought of inflicting it on an innocent man is more than I can bear. I started this mission self-righteous, with my heart in the right place, sure that the life of one wasn’t worth the life of millions.”

I swallowed hard, my eyes stinging with tears. “And I recently found out that the man who saved my life thinks so little of me that he would hand me over to you on a silver platter without a second thought.”

His eyes widened. “So I surrender. No more. I would rather live here in exile than sink so low as to seduce you and later betray you. If their goddamn mission is so important, then they can find someone else to carry it out. Maybe the world is beyond saving and maybe it’s not. All I know is I am not willing to destroy my soul finding out if it can be saved.”

I took another deep, shaking breath. “I don’t know you. I may never know you. All I know is what I was told…and I think that is not the whole truth. I don’t think I will ever know the whole truth, but I know that it’s no longer my choice to decide who lives and who dies. Let it be someone else’s turn. I can’t kill you, Alucard. I can’t kill a good man without killing myself at the same time.”

I reached into the suitcase and offered the Traveler to him. “I can offer you the truth, as it was told to me. Then you can choose your own destiny. You deserve that choice. And after I tell you, if you never want to see me again—”

Alucard cradled my cheek in his hand and kissed me silent.

He kissed me with passion and naked hunger and endless desire. His fingers slid up over the Traveler and then dropped it back into the suitcase. Then he held my waist and pulled back enough to speak.

“I do not care about the future,” he said softly. “I do not care about their truth. Only yours.”

He ran his thumb down my cheek. “Only you.”

He kissed me again, whispering against my lips. “I don’t know you either. But I want to know you. For a hundred and twenty years, I’ve thought only of these lips. You’ve possessed me, Peppermint. I buried the people I loved centuries ago and you are the first to make me feel as I felt with them again.”

Our lips met again. The words left me before I could stop them. “Will you stay?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Yes, I will stay.”

I managed to unlock the door through the grace of God or some other entity and kicked the suitcase inside. Alucard shut the door and then swept me up in his arms, carrying me to the plain but sizeable bed on an iron frame. He shed his boots, and I shed my sandals, and by the time he pressed me into the sheets, I was trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. He buried his hand in my hair and tilted my head back, kissing me deeper, harder, rocking his hard body down against me. He found the zipper along my nape and undid the dress, sliding his hand beneath the fabric to feel my bare skin. I tensed, a short cry escaping me.

“Shh,” he murmured to me, kissing the corner of my mouth. “It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. I want to make you feel good. Do you understand?”

I nodded shakily. He ran his hand down my naked spine and let his fingers curl over my ass, feeling the lace panties, squeezing gently. I clung to the front of his vest, my eyes squeezed shut, overwhelmed by the fire consuming my very center. He withdrew and pulled the dress off of me, leaving me in just the panties, for there hadn’t been a bra in my size. His amber eyes roved over me eagerly and filled with equal parts admiration and lust. I blushed incredibly hard and crossed my arms over my bare breasts, too nervous to withstand such a look from him.

“Do you have an aversion to pleasure, my dear?” he asked patiently, his long fingers stroking the outside of my thighs.

“I…don’t know,” I whispered hoarsely. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything aside from numb.”

“I understand.” He sat back on his knees and unbuttoned his vest. I meekly turned my head, blushing more, but then his gentle voice caught my attention again. “Watch me, Peppermint. I am undressing for you. Just you. You need not be ashamed. I want you to look at me.”

Somehow, the permission helped me stave off the wave of shame and modesty. I raised my gaze to see him undo the shirt next, revealing his magnificent chest and sculpted abdomen. The scar bisecting his pectorals had healed to nearly just a faint mark and slightly raised flesh, as had the silver bullet wounds. He reached up and took the bobby pin from his hair, allowing those sunshine locks to spill around his beautiful face.

He crawled over me once more, kissing either side of my throat slowly, his voice soft. “You are safe. You are wanted. You are beautiful. Will you let me be good to you, Peppermint?”

“I don’t deserve it,” I choked out, shaking my head, curling in on myself, wanting to hide from him. “I want you, but I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes, you do,” he cooed, running his hand up and down the center of my body, stroking and stroking away the tension gathering there. “You deserve to feel good, Peppermint. You are a good girl. Say it.”

“I-I’m not.”

“Yes,” he breathed, slipping his hand between my thighs. I cried out as his fingers traced my shape, wetness pooling against the lace. “Yes, you are. You are a good girl. You are _my_ good girl. And I want to make my girl feel nice.”

Alucard found my lips again, his voice still tender, his hand steadily rubbing my wet cunt through the lace. “My pretty, sweet Peppermint. Let me in. Let me have you. Spread your legs. Spread your legs for me. I want to please you. Only you.”

My will shattered then. I managed to part my thighs to let him in. Alucard sighed gently. “Thank you. Good girl.”

He slid his hand beneath the panties and lightly ran his fingertips over my sopping heat, eliciting more cries from me. He hushed me, whispering that it was alright, lavishing my neck with kisses, paying particular attention to my scars. He peeled the panties away and kissed me as he angled a finger inside me. I cried out again, writhing as a frisson of pure ecstasy leapt through my naked body. Alucard groaned eagerly and slid a second finger into me, up to the third knuckle, curling it slightly so that I moaned again. “Touch me, Peppermint. It’s alright. I want it.”

I pried my fingers free and lifted them towards him, hesitant at first, but then remembering his words. I touched his shoulders, felt the power in them, sliding my palms across the smooth, strong planes of his chest. I explored the breadth of his chest and shoulders as he settled into rhythm above me, his fingers quickly slick from my excitement and pleasure, sliding deeper with every thrust. I arched up into his touch, moaning steadily, my body dissolving into the bed in minutes. “A-Alucard.”

“Yes, good girl, Peppermint,” he hummed in my ear. “That’s it. You’re taking my fingers so well. So wet. So soft. So tight. I wish to give you more. Would you like more, sweet girl?”

“Ah, yes, please, Alucard!”

He slid a third finger inside me and thrust faster, harder, until I found myself rocking down against his arm chasing my orgasm. “There’s a good girl. Yes, keep going. Take your pleasure. It’s yours. I give it freely. I want you to come.”

“Can’t,” I panted around his lips. “Can’t come, I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t come—”

“Shh,” he whispered, his eyes locked on mine. “Yes, Peppermint. It’s alright to come. I want you to come. Be a good girl and come for me.”

“Oh, Alucard, please, I shouldn’t come—”

“Mm, perhaps you’re right,” he said suddenly, but there was a glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“I…am?”

“Yes,” he said. “You should not come.”

He smirked. “On my fingers, that is.”

Alucard sunk down my body until his face lined up with my pelvis.

And then he slipped his tongue inside me instead.

_“Alucard!”_

My head flew back on the pillows as his tongue pushed deep and his lips went to work sucking, slurping at my petals, consuming my entire body in such pleasure that I couldn’t withstand it. I plunged my hands into his golden hair and came that every second, releasing everything at once. Alucard purred in satisfaction as he felt it, lapping at me with such devious patience that I nearly flew over the edge a second time. He lifted up a moment later and licked his fingers and mouth clean, watching me lie there trying to catch my breath.

“Is it simply fate or coincidence that you are as sweet as your namesake, Peppermint?”

I covered my face with both hands, which made him laugh. He stroked up my side to sooth me. “Forgive me. I could not resist.”

I bit my lip to stifle a moan as he crawled over me enough to capture my left breast in his hot mouth. “You did so well, my dear. I want to give you more. Do you want more?”

Latent fears rushed up to the surface of my mind. Things I’d done. The knowledge that I had reached the point of no return with him. That I’d willfully chosen him. Was it even right for me to want more from him?

I swallowed hard. “Y-Yes, I want more, but I’m just…scared. I-I haven’t…in so long…what if I disappoint you?”

“I want you as you are,” he told me. “There is nothing to disappoint.”

“B-But you’ve already been so good to me and I haven’t returned the favor—”

“On the contrary,” he said, lifting a brow. “Centuries I’ve waited to make you come. It was well worth the wait. A man could not ask for a better reward.”

“Oh,” I said sheepishly. “But you don’t want me to—”

He kissed my cheek as he slid out of his trousers. “There will be time for that later. Now, I want you. I want you writhing underneath me, taking my cock, lost to me, lost to the pleasure of my touch. I have you, my sweet Peppermint. At long last, after all this time.”

Our bodies melted together. Alucard’s cock glided into me. I could think of no word other than paradise. The easy slide of his cock inside me, the brush of his heavy body atop me, the tickle of his golden hair along the sides of my face, the affectionate touch of his lips, all of it filled me with bliss. God. I’d gone so long without anything even remotely pleasant, so used to my tortured existence deep underground, isolated, alone, surrounded by a scorched world above. And now I was here. I had found an escape in the one person who was considered responsible for it all.

And it was more than simply taking me to bed and fucking me, like my few lovers before him. Alucard lived on my every cry, adjusting his hips to the spots that made me moan the hardest, every kiss succulent, everywhere his hands brushed me exquisitely focused, cultivating my pleasure as if it sustained him. I couldn’t understand it, how he felt so much for me that he wanted to give me these incredible sensations. How he could see past the icy exterior I’d taught myself to project and want to know more, even after all that I’d done. It made me want to give him everything in return, hiding nothing, seeking to please him as much as he’d pleased me. I moved with him, against him, listening in return to the soft growls he let out as I pleasured him right back.

When my hands wandered down to the small of his back, he let out a feral groan of sheer desire and picked up speed, thrusting into my melting heat harder than before. I dug my nails into his pale skin and spread my legs wider still, losing any semblance of control as he pounded me into the sheets as if I belonged to him.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” he whispered in my ear. “You must come. Come for me. You are so wild and beautiful, my darling. Come.”

I clung to him, far too close to the edge to withstand such talk. “Please, please come with me, Alucard. You feel so good to me. I just want to please you.”

He ran one hand down the length of my side, gripping my leg and lifting it higher along his back. “Mm, you please me, pet. Offering this sweet cunt to me, this magnificent body, these lips that make me crave you from the depths of my very soul.”

“Alucard, please, please come inside me.”

He shuddered. “I could not be so irresponsible, my darling.”

“It’s okay,” I said in a small voice. He shifted enough to look down at me then. “I…cannot conceive.”

Alucard stroked my cheek, sympathy in his features. “I am sorry, my sweet.”

He kissed me, circling his hips, his pelvis grinding perfectly against my clit. I could do nothing to resist it. I did what I had come here to do.

I surrendered.

The world faded away. I floated into the heavens in Alucard’s arms, elated as I knew he’d joined me. I didn’t know where I belonged in the world, in time, but I did know that I belonged here.

And that was good enough for now.

As the afterglow eased over the two of us, I tilted my head towards Alucard’s ear and whispered my real name to him. He stirred, looking down at me fondly. He repeated it back to me, and it was nothing short of lovely on his tongue. “Beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I kissed him, smiling. “But you can still call me Peppermint if you want. I kinda like it.”

Alucard grinned before kissing me back. “How sweet.”


End file.
